Leadership and Context for Comprehensive Internationalization: Senior International Officer Perspectives

Increasing attention has been paid in recent years to the nature and importance of the role of the senior international officer (SIO) in higher education institutions. With reference to Knight’s (1994) internationalization cycle and Tierney’s (1988) framework of organizational culture, this basic qualitative study examines the intersection of leadership and institutional context as mediators of the internationalization process, a perspective which is lacking in the existing literature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 SIOs from institutions that have received a national award for internationalization, with strategic planning documents serving as a secondary data source. Findings suggest that the roles of strategist, networker, and advocate are key to the SIO’s successful navigation of institutional context. The variation between different institutional types, environments, and cultures may ultimately be less important than the extent to which SIOs are able to understand their own institutional mission and strategy and adapt accordingly. Implications for professional practice include developing sustainable cross-campus networks to raise visibility and finding innovative ways of demonstrating value to the wider campus community.